# filter down

CEFR B2 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/filter-down
Updated: 2026-10-22

## Definition

When information or changes start at a high level and slowly reach the people at the bottom. You use this when news from a boss eventually reaches the workers.

For teachers: To pass through a hierarchy or system gradually, typically referring to information, decisions, or effects moving from a higher level to a lower one. The verb is intransitive in this sense and often takes the preposition 'to'.

## Examples

- The news about the bonus will filter down to the team soon.
- It took several weeks for the new safety regulations to filter down from the head office to the workers on the factory floor.
- Economists debated whether the tax cuts for large corporations would actually filter down to the average consumer or simply increase shareholder dividends.

## Pitfalls

- Not "The information filtered down the staff." but "The information filtered down to the staff." — The verb requires the preposition 'to' when specifying the recipient of the information or effect.

## Usage notes

- Usually describes information or money moving through a company or government.
- Teaching tip: Contrast with 'trickle down', which is almost exclusively used for money and economic policy rather than general information.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.